Circumcised

"I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you," Genesis 17:7.

God's talking here to Abraham. God's setting up an agreement between himself and Abraham. What are the terms of the agreement? First, God will be God to Abraham and his offspring. Second, God will multiply Abraham as the father of nations. Third, God will give Abraham and descendants rich land. Why? Because he's their God. And he wants to. Fourth, Abraham and all his offspring males must be circumcised in the flesh of their foreskins. God was pretty specific and insistent on this cultural practice. Every 8-day old baby boy, and any older male who wanted to be part of the agreement had to be circumcised. If they didn't cut off the foreskin, they themselves were cut off from their culture. So that day, 99-year old Abraham got circumcised, and his 13-year old son Ishmael, and every other male, slave or free, in his household got circumcised. And most every male born or adopted into Abraham's lineage from that day. That was the agreement. And 2000 years later, the newborn baby boy placed in that manger, offspring of Abraham, was circumcised on his 8th day of life. That's the day, in keeping with the angel's instruction, they named him Jesus.

As we reflect with a brother or sister today, 2000 more years later, we realize God's plans play out in a different scale and scope than we would imagine. And, together, we give thanks to God who circumcised us all spiritually in Christ when we were buried and raised with Christ in baptism.